When William woke up in the morning, his head was still groggy. He couldn't shake the image of that terrifying three-headed dog from his dream.
Boba Tea, who had been sleeping on his chest, was nowhere to be seen. Most likely, it had gone off to say goodbye to Drogon.
William got up, dressed, and after washing up, shrank his packed luggage with a Shrinking Charm and slipped it into his pocket.
He glanced at the ticket in his hand.
—Platform 9¾.
That's what it said, and although it looked ridiculous, William had already asked Cedric for detailed directions.
His younger sister Annie looked rather downcast. She wasn't happy about not being able to go to Hogwarts herself.
It wasn't until William promised to write her every week that her face brightened a little.
They arrived at King's Cross Station at nine o'clock.
The station was bustling with people, and after saying goodbye to his family, William picked up Boba Tea's cage and walked toward the wall between Platforms 9 and 10.
Before he could go through, he noticed a group of strangely dressed people wearing wizard robes beneath their suits—definitely not blending in—who had already disappeared through the wall.
But they had been spotted!
A Muggle man, a burly fellow with a sharp gaze, suddenly sprinted toward the wall at full speed.
Surprisingly, this big man was quite fast, moving almost as quickly as Usain Bolt.
He zipped forward with incredible agility, his movements graceful, but then—BAM—he collided head-on with the wall.
William: "..."
The man's kamikaze-style stunt drew a lot of attention from nearby Muggles. Two security guards hurried over, clearly baffled by what they had just witnessed.
It was the first time they'd ever seen someone try to stage a collision scam in a train station.
If you're going to scam someone, at least hit a train, not a wall!
Just then, two people appeared out of thin air. They were wearing casual clothes but holding wands. Without much fanfare, they began casting memory-modifying spells on the surrounding Muggles, erasing the moments of the man crashing into the wall.
They also erased the memories of the poor man himself, likely so he wouldn't remember what had happened.
After completing their work, one of the wizards, a tall black man, gestured to William, indicating it was safe for him to go through.
William thanked them, and with their escort, walked through the wall, carrying Boba Tea's cage.
On the other side, he found himself standing on the platform for the Hogwarts Express.
A deep red steam engine with a Victorian-era design stood waiting, billowing smoke as students swarmed around the platform.
A sign on the train read: Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock.
Turning back, William noticed that the passage he had just come through now looked like an iron archway, with a sign above reading: Platform 9¾.
The steam from the engine curled above the bustling crowd, and a variety of colorful cats weaved through the legs of students and their families.
The first few carriages were already packed with students. Some were leaning out of the windows, waving to their families, while others were playfully roughhousing in their seats.
Carrying Boba Tea's cage, William made his way toward the rear of the train and found a compartment.
Inside, there was already a girl seated by the window. She was an Asian girl with twin pigtails, reading a book titled Quidditch Through the Ages.
It was rare for William to see an Asian girl in Britain—especially on the Hogwarts Express.
He recalled Ollivander mentioning Mahoutokoro, the magical school in Asia, and had looked it up after. It was the only magical school in Asia known to the wider world.
Politely, William asked, "Is this seat taken?"
The girl shook her head.
William thanked her and sat down, then opened the cage to let Boba Tea out.
Boba Tea slowly stretched out, lazily yawning before curling up next to the train window, where the sunlight streamed in.
Looking out the window, William suddenly spotted the Weasley family.
Mrs. Weasley was fussing over a young boy, brushing aside his fringe.
That must be Ron, the youngest of the Weasleys. William had heard George and Fred talk about him, but he wouldn't be starting at Hogwarts until next year.
"Ron, your hair's gotten so long," Mrs. Weasley said as Ron tried to squirm away from her.
"Don't worry, I'll give you a nice, short haircut—how about a buzz cut?"
"No way!" Ron protested, struggling against her.
"I think you should shave his head bald—simple and tidy!" one of the twins suggested.
"That's ugly! Why don't you shave your head?" Ron retorted loudly.
"We're off to school, Mum can't get to us," Fred laughed. "But you've got another year to wait, little Ronnie."
"Who says I can't get to you when you're at school!" Mrs. Weasley kissed each twin on the cheek, warning, "You two better behave this year.
"If Percy sends me another letter saying you were sneaking out at night… or throwing dungbombs at the Slytherin table…"
"Throwing dungbombs? On the Slytherin table?!" Fred exclaimed in mock surprise, staring wide-eyed at Mrs. Weasley.
George burst out laughing. "I've got to say, Mum, you're a genius!"
"Thanks for the idea, Mum. We've just learned a new trick."
Mrs. Weasley was so flustered she couldn't even speak.
With a loud whistle, the Hogwarts Express began preparing for departure. The twins made their way toward the train.
Fred shouted, "Hey, William! We'll come find you in a bit!"
William nodded and waved at Mrs. Weasley as well.
"Keep an eye on them for me, dear!" Mrs. Weasley called out. "Write to me if they cause any trouble!"
As the train began to move, the sound of the whistle startled Boba Tea, who jumped up in surprise.
William smiled. One thing about traveling on this old-fashioned steam train—it certainly prevented the chaos of haggling with unlicensed taxi drivers outside school gates…
"Hey, I'm Cho Chang. I'm from a Muggle family. How about you?" the girl seated across from him finally spoke, setting her book aside as the train started rolling.
"Hi, I'm William Stark. I'm also from a Muggle family. You can just call me William."
William extended his hand, and Cho shook it briefly.
They exchanged a few pleasantries before Cho returned to her book, and William pulled out a copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2.
With the train journey set to be long, he figured he might as well study to pass the time.
Cho raised an eyebrow, glancing at William curiously. "Are you a second-year student?"
William shook his head. "No, I'm a first-year like you."
"Oh…" Cho's tone carried a hint of doubt, and she quickly lost interest in the conversation.
Clearly, she thought William was just a show-off. After all, what kind of first-year student would be reading second-year spellbooks?
A moment later, a sudden thud interrupted the quiet.
At some point, Boba Tea had wandered away from its sunny spot and was now perched on the table, staring intently at the rabbit in the cage across from it, as if it had just discovered a new toy.
The rabbit, Cho's pet, was snow-white and trembling in fear under Boba Tea's gaze.
With a flick of its paws, Boba Tea extended its claws. The poor rabbit let out a shrill squeak and fell from the upper compartment of its cage, knocking its head on the water dish and getting smacked by a stray carrot.
It fainted immediately.
Boba Tea: "..."
Drama queen
Cho hurriedly pulled a hamburger out of her bag, her intended lunch. She tore off a small piece and waved it in front of Boba Tea, hoping to lure it away and save her poor rabbit.
But Boba Tea only glanced at the hamburger in disdain, let out an indignant "meow," and then leisurely returned to the window to groom its orange fur.
Cho's face turned bright red with frustration.
"Sorry about that. Boba Tea is… a bit picky with food," William apologized.
"Clearly! You should probably starve it for a few days…" Cho began to say, but was interrupted when the door to the compartment slid open.
It was Cedric.
"William! The twins told me you were here by yourself. Come on, I've saved you a spot in the other carriage…"
But as Cedric reached for William's hand, his eyes landed on Cho, who was frantically trying to revive her rabbit.
Cedric's face turned bright red, and he stammered, "Uh… who's this?"
"This is Cho Chang, a new friend I just met," William explained quickly. "What were you saying?"
Cedric cleared his throat awkwardly and, in a much more composed tone, replied, "Oh, nothing. It's just that the other carriage is a bit too crowded, so I thought I'd come sit here instead."
"…"
Join my pateron: patreon.com/HyppoTL